It presents an overview of more than a century of federal, state, and municipal policies, real estate practices, and development strategies that have kept far too many of the St. Louis region’s residents segregated in neighborhoods with less opportunity to advance economically and fewer resources to support health and well-being.

The report concludes with 11 policy recommendations intended to drive community action towards equitable and inclusive housing in the region.

The U-City Microcredit Club met on April 20th and again on April 24 to make 19 loans for $1500 (total).

Here are the highlights:

Oran Ely is our featured borrower. He lives in Choloma, Cortes, Honduras. He is 29 years old and suffers from a paralysis that blocks the use of his legs. He has been making beautiful portraits, landscapes and artistic pictures for seven years (Some of which you can see in the picture.)e sells them to galleries and also does custom work by request. He is borrowing $750 (15,000 lemperes) to buy watercolors, acrylic paints and canvas. He will also invest part of the loan in a anew business he is starting (opening a gallery). We loaned $100.

Arita Yasmeen is a tailor and lives in Guyanwaly, Pakistan. She is borrowing $350 to buy materials for her business. We loaned $25.

The Progresso V Group is 5 men who live in Sao Paulo, Brazil. They are borrowing $4,325. Vlademir will use his portion of the loan to buy parts for his motorcycle repair business. We loaned $100.

Moshira lives in Kulob, Tajikistan, and is borrowing $1,250 to start a business making and selling cotton candy. We loaned $50.

Yellow Leaf Hammocks is an NGO which provides raw materials and a market for 1.2 million persons in Thailand who make hammocks. The NGO is borrowing $50,000 to expand their online presence and their digital marketing strategy. We loaned $25.

Nada lives in Bagaa, Jordan, and makes pickles. She is borrowing $1,450 to buy equipment that will make the process easier and cleaner. We loaned $75.

Abees also lives in Jordan and creates handcrafts using beads. She is borrowing $725 to buy more supplies. We loaned $75.

Famata lives in Logan Town, Liberia, and she sells bags of charcoal and bags of water. She is borrowing $550 to buy additional bags of charcoal to sell. We loaned $75.

Dewa is from Bali, Indonesia, and is a craftsman in sterling silver and gemstone jewelry. You can see (and purchase) his work, sold through NOVICA. He is borrowing $2,200 to invest in bulk in silver and gemstones. We loaned $100.

Rosa Maria lives with her partner and her daughter in Cotoca, Bolivia, a rural community known for its traditional pottery. For 10 years she has been operating a restaurant on the patio of her home. She cooks in the family kitchen. She is located in a very busy area, and her restaurant is always very crowded. She is open in the evening six days a week. Her problem is that she purchases her cooking supplies (rice, oil, meat, etc) daily, which causes transportation problems and wastes time. She is borrowing $875 to purchase supplies wholesale and in bigger quantities. We loaned $100.

The Faraja Group Buguruni is 3 people who live in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The group is borrowing $775. Debora is a mobile money provider. She will use her portion of the loan to add more capital to her business. This is her second loan. We loaned $50.

The Baobo grouo is 18 people who live in Goma, Congo (DRC). The group is borrowing $10,000. Madam Madeline is the leader of the group and is full of innovation and initiative. She sells fish in the central market in Virunga. Her portion of the loan will buy 15 bags of salted fish. We loaned $100.

Salomi lives in Vunivau, Fiji, and she sells kava powder. Kava is a popular drink made form the powder of kava pepper roots. She is borrowing $500 to purchase kava powder and supplies (plastic, brown bags, zip locks, etc). We loaned $50.

Etevise lives in Vailete, Samoa, and sells taro and banana chips. She is borrowing $500 to buy a sack of taro, bananas, vegetable oil, a fry pan, a wooden spoon and a gas stove. We loaned $100.

Maria lives in Manatuto, Timor-Leste, and has run a chicken barbecue stand (Chicken Sate) for many years. She has a good location and many regular customers. She is borrowing $500 to buy woods, chickens, and other ingredients. We loaned $100.

Ali lives in Adidogone, Togo and sells backpacks from a stall in front of her house. She is borrowing $400 to buy more backpacks. This is her third loan. We loaned $75.

The Gatarama A Cb Group is 14 persons who live in Rwanda. They arert borrowing $7,700. Irene is the leader of the group. She sells banana juice in the local market. She will use her portion of the loan to purchase more sorghum to make more banana juice. We loaned $100.

Evelyn Xiomara runs a general store in El Salvador. She is borrowing $750 to purchase eggs, bread, beverages, sugar, snacks, etc. to strengthen her inventory. We loaned $100.

Samina and her husband live in Lahore, Pakistan. He works as a laborer for small wages but has been learning to be an electrician. He is now qualified and is borrowing $275 to purchase an initial stock of sockets, bulbs, tube lights, switches, etc. We loaned $100.

We are approaching $50,000 in loans made and will likely make that loan in July or August. Stay tuned!

Students seeking to force action on school shootings have organized a St. Louis "March for Our Lives" through downtown, set for March 24. An anti-gun march will traverse downtown from Union Station to the Arch.

We are taught as Christians human life is sacred. Over the past month, I have been deeply moved by the passion and energy of teens that have propelled this conversation to the forefront of our national consciousness.

The students are asking anyone who's interested in joining them to meet at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 24, at Union Station (Market Street). From there, they'll march to the Arch.

We may not all agree about gun control laws/regulations and how to act on it as a country. But if you agree something needs to be done and it is time for our representatives in Washington to do something, then come join me in the St Louis March for Our Lives on March 24th. Those interested please contact me for further details.

I personally said “Enough is Enough” after the young woman was killed in Charlottesville, Virginia during the Klan March.

I wondered what God must be thinking. I heard the gospel being preached by Rev Diane around that time about “Whom shall I send?", which asked, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, What am I called to do? I just couldn’t do anything, so I started praying that God show me ways I can stand for justice. I just can’t let the gun shots that kill, the words of hate be the loudest or the last thing God hears from God's people.

If you have your reason for wanting to march on this issue and you want to be a part of UUMC group call, text or email me. Once I see how many that wants to participate I will plan accordingly and let you know. The March is approaching fast so please respond asap.

Whether you plan on marching or not, please pray for those of us who do.

Q I can choose between Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services because they’re pretty much the same thing... right?

A No! Think of your favorite movie trilogy. What happens to the story if you watch either parts 1 and 2 but not both? Would you watch A New Hope and Return of the Jedi but skip The Empire Strikes Back? Of course not! You need to come to all three services to experience the whole story.

Q Are you really asking people to wash each other’s feet? In church? Is this sanitary?

A Yes, part of a traditional Maundy Thursday service is foot washing. It’s a beautiful symbolic act. Participating in this tradition is optional, however, and yes, we have clean carpet plus a supply of hand sanitizer.

Q What about my kids? Can they come on Thursday and Friday?

AChildren are welcome at all services. Thursday is especially good for kids because it is multi-sensory with communion, foot washing, and removing all of the decorations from the sanctuary. Nursery care is available for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday if you RSVP to Amy by Friday, 3/23.

Q Will the Good Friday service be gory?

A Sorry, Walking Dead fans, we’re not going to spend a lot of time on the extreme violence of crucifixion. The point of Good Friday is not to inflict ourselves with guilt over Jesus’ physical suffering but to remember that Jesus willingly experienced death so that we could all enjoy new life through him.

Q I’ve heard that we should fast before worship on Good Friday. Why?

A Fasting is an ancient Christian ritual that helps us focus on Jesus’ sacrifice, solidarity with the poor, and our spiritual life.

Q Easter mornings are hectic, and I don’t want to fight the lines at brunch before church. Do you have food?

A We’re Methodists, of course we have food! Come at 9 for a potluck breakfast before the service.

Q Speaking of food, isn’t there an egg hunt ?

A Yes, the youth will hide eggs for the children, and the egg hunt begins at 9:30. Bring a basket or bag!

Q Is there Sunday School or LOGOS on Easter Sunday?

A All classes are replaced with food and fellowship.

Q What if I don’t have fancy clothes for Easter morning?

A We invite you to Be You, Be Loved, and Belong. We don’t care what you’re wearing. Easter Sunday is about celebrating as a community, not fashion.

Q I have family members and/or friends whom I’d like to invite, but they aren’t necessarily churchgoers. Will they feel welcome?

A Of course. We’re happy to have them and won’t pressure them to join or convert.

Q What’s Easter Monday? I thought Easter was one day?

A Actually, Easter Sunday kicks off the liturgical season of Easter, which lasts 50 days, until Pentecost. Enjoy those Easter chocolates for a few more weeks!

The U-City microcredit club met virtually on March 10 and made 9 loans for a total of $600, as follows:

Salanieta is married with two children and lives in Vusu, Fiji. She currently has two businesses that she runs together- sewing and ice blocks. Because of the popularity of kava, a relaxing drink made from the root of the kava pepper, she is borrowing $800 to buy the equipment and supplies to produce kava powder for sale. We loaned $25. This is our first loan in Fiji and the 78th country in which we have loaned.

Sharofat is married with 3 children and lives in Istaravshan, Tajikistan. She has been farming and breeding cattle for 10 years and is borrowing $350 to pay for plowing the fields, seeds and fertilizer. We loaned $100.

The Indashyikirwa Group is 17 persons who live in Rwanda. The group is borrowing $7,775. Claudine is the leader of the group. She is 32 years old, married with 4 children. For the last 6 years, she has run a business selling wedding clothes and decorations. She will use her portion of the loan to buy more wedding clothes to sell. We loaned $75.

Sartura is 46 years old and lives with her partner and three children in New Kru, Liberia. For the last 16 years, she has run a business selling bitter ball, pepper, red oil, and other food items in her store which she runs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. She is borrowing $275 to purchase more goods to sell. We loaned $50.

The Savet Group is 6 women who live in a village in Svay Reang Province, Cambodia. They are borrowing $2,975. Savet and her husband have been working as construction workers for the last eight years, but they also grow rice. Savet will use her portion of the loan to pay for fertilizer for the rice fields. We loaned $100.

The Luis Espanol Group has ten members who live in La Paz, Bolivia. They are borrowing $7,950. The group elects a board of directors, and Yaneth is President of the board. She operates a grocery store. She will use her portion of the loan to purchase wholesale canned goods. We loaned $100.

Pennapa, pictured above, is Siamese and was born in northeastern Thailand. She met her husband (a Hmong) in Bangkok and moved with him to his home village in Rongkwang, Thailand. Her husband is a farmer, growing feed corn for sale and rice and cabbage for the family. She had her first child earlier this year. Pennape works along with her five sisters-in-law weaving high-margin luxury hammocks. They purchase their raw materials, patterns, etc. from Yellow Leaf Hammocks. This organization provides training and production support as well as creating an internet market place, enabling Pennape to sell their hammocks to an international base. This is Pennape's second loan cycle, and she is borrowing $2,000. We loaned $25.

Juan is a 61 year old who lives in San Lorenzo, Paraguay. For the last 17 years he has been selling electrical supplies (light bulbs, cable, ballast, fluorescent tubes, etc.) He is borrowing $750 to purchase more inventory. We loaned $50.

Enea is a member of the vulnerable Egyptian community living in Korce, Albania. He lives with his parents and 5 siblings. Since his father developed health complications 10 years ago, Enea has become the sole source of income for the family. He opened a butcher shop 3 years ago and has been doing well. Last month he used all his savings to pay for medical treatments for his father and now needs to borrow $950 to purchase supplies and inventory for his shop. We loaned $75.

As always, we thank you for your interest, your prayers and your support and invite your participation.

DESCRIPTIONThe Open Door Pantry has evolved over two decades at UUMC offering various levels of assistance for those in need of emergency help for food.

In 2017 the Open Door Pantry volunteers determined essential needs beyond food for our neighbors. The operation of the Open Door Pantry is directed by the Goal and Guiding Principles based on the mission of UUMC and the identified theme for 2018 of “A Healthier St. Louis.”

GOALTo support the UUMC mission through respectful and willing service with our community neighbors in achieving a healthy and safe living environment by providing food items and products not covered under social service programs.

GUIDING PRINCIPLESTo the extent possible clients are given a choice in selection of the products offered with certain restrictions allow for distribution of popular or expensive items, so that a greater share of clients may receive those items.

Volunteers encourage the empowerment of clients to make healthy decisions.

OPERATION PROCEDURESEvery Wednesday from 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Registration requires a current photo identification card. No Income guidelines are required. Each neighbor is provided a number upon arrival so that each can be served in the order of arrival. Items offered include bus passes, paper products, hygiene items as well as cans and packages of food. Warm socks, gloves, scarves and hats are available during winter months.

LEARNING ABOUT OUR NEIGHBORSVisits to the Open Door Pantry increased in 2017. The numbers below shows the growth in the total number of neighbor visits per month.

Those neighbors who attended 9-12 times and 6-8 times came almost every month after their first visit.

No. of people No. of visits6 9-128 6-816 3-541 1-2

We implemented a conversation guide to assist us in learning more about those coming to the Open Door Pantry. The purpose was to learn more about the circumstances of our neighbors in need, to understand how the pantry is helping them, and to identify other needs they may have. A copy of the guide is included as Appendix 1.

ABOUT OUR VOLUNTEERS

Twelve regular volunteers provided over 500 hours of service this year to the Open Door Pantry. The volunteer names and a listing of their responsibilities are included in Appendix 2 and 3.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTIn October we gave each individual who came to our Open Door Pantry an invitation to attend church service and our Harvest Home dinner on November 5th. We followed up with phone calls to those who expressed interest in coming. Eight of the pantry neighbors came to our worship service and twenty came to the dinner. These individuals stated they enjoyed the event and some offered reciprocal invitations to dinners and musical gatherings.

WHAT’S NEXT?We want to explore ways to follow up with additional opportunities to get together with our neighbors:

Our application with Operation Food Search is pending.

CSFP is now coordinated through Trinity Presbyterian Church.

FINANCESSources on funding and supplies include the following:

Food, paper products, hygiene items and cleaning supplies brought to the church by members of the congregation.

Cash donations from the congregation. The volunteers then purchase needed items with this money for the Open Door Pantry.

Soliciting free donations or reduced cost items through community and commercial organizations.

Various fundraising activities within the church.

Church budget allocation.

Total Donations $5,854.00Total Expenses $5,747.00

In addition, the UUMC Preschool held a Food Drive in October of 2017 and a special Christmas offering was designated for the Open Door Pantry in December of 2017 in the amount of $1,067.00.

VISION FOR THE FUTURE - COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

As a follow-up to the Harvest Home Dinner, invite pantry neighbors to monthly potlucks at UUMC.

Offer snacks and drinks once a month on Wednesdays during the Open Door Pantry.

As appropriate, share stories of our neighbors and their needs with the congregation.

Plan a UUMC Food Drive in May, 2018.

Apply for a MUMF Mission Grant with UUMC budget allocation included.

Appendix 1:

UNIVERSITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OPEN DOOR PANTRY

Learning About Our NeighborsWe are trying to learn more about those who come to our pantry to better understand the types of services most needed and ways in which we can meet particular needs.

Name: Age:

Address:

City State Zip

Living Situation:

Persons who are part of your household

Transportation:

Do you have access to a car?

Food

What are the most helpful items for you and your family?

What food do you like the most?

How did you learn about UUMC Open Door Pantry?

Do you receive assistance from other Food Pantries?

How has your situation changed since receiving help from UUMC?

Appendix 2: Volunteer Roster

CHURCH OPEN DOOR PROGRAM LIST OF VOLUNTEERS FOR FOOD PANTRY (available from the church office but not published publicly.)

Appendix 3: Responsibilities of Volunteers

FOOD PANTRY VOLUNTEER INSTRUCTIONSPREPARING TO OPEN

Arrive at 15 minutes before the opening of the Food Pantry and get the notebook entitled CHURCH OPEN DOOR PROGRAM in the office. It contains information on our “neighbors in need” and passes for the bus. Take the notebook with you to Fellowship Hall.

Move the piano. Set up a table near the Food Pantry and place the community resource folders on the table, along with the notebook.

Move the drop off and pick up bins with the red bags into the Library.

Place bags on table for people to use to use when they shop.

WELCOMING OUR NEIGHBORS

Greet our neighbors at the door and escort them to Fellowship Hall.

Give them a number and offer them something to drink.

Check their identification in the CHURCH OPEN DOOR notebook. Refer to the log and verify the neighbor’s last visit Check their address and phone number and update as needed.

If this is the first visit for the neighbor, copy a current photo ID and include it in alphabetical order in the CHURCH DOOR OPEN PROGRAM Notebook.

Please pay special attention to completing the form “Knowing Our Neighbors”. This will help in our ongoing evaluation of evidence-based outcomes for our Food Pantry.

Provide a resource folder for each family. Ask about their current needs and follow-up with referrals as appropriate.

DISTRIBUTING FOOD AND SUPPLIES

Once a month neighbors may receive two bags of a combination of food, paper products and hygiene supplies as well as two bus passes.

Ask our neighbors if there are any special foods or paper products they prefer. Add these to the shopping list for the following week.

Give the person a UUMC appointment card with their return date for the following month. Include two bus passes if they do not have access to a car.

Escort them to the door and make meaningful contact with them before they leave. Offer to carry bags if they need help.

Record your encounter in the CHURCH OPEN DOOR PROGRAM notebook.

WHILE YOU ARE WAITING

Place the items that have been donated that are located in the bin on the appropriate shelves.

Check the labels for expiration dates on all foods and dispose of the ones that have expired

Assist with any work that needs completed in the office.

Replenish Food Pantry donation envelopes on the back of the pews in the sanctuary.

Assemble the resource packets, as needed.

Sort bulletins and other paper items in the recycle basket that is on the front pew in the Sanctuary.

PREPARING TO CLOSE

Prepare a list of needed food items, paper product and bus passes. Email this list to Cindy Zirwes and to Elizabeth in the office, so she can include it in Headlines and the Sunday bulletin.

Take down the table and move the piano back. Return the plastic bins to their original location. Place the resource folders on the shelf. Return the CHURCH OPEN DOOR notebook to the office.

The U-City Microcredit Club held its first meeting on September 15, 2009, and since that time, has participated in 570 loans to entrepreneurs in 77 countries using the Kiva.org system of microcredit loans.

Kiva partners with existing non-government organizations (NGOs) around the world who have expertise in micro-finance and a mission to alleviate poverty. These field partners know their local area/ clients and do all the work required to get Kiva loans to the Kiva web site. The field partners disburse the loans as soon as they are granted. The field partner then collects information about the entrepreneur, pictures and details about the loan, and uploads them to Kiva. Kiva then posts them to Kiva.org along with information about the field partner.

U-City Microcredit Club meets periodically, sometimes in person and sometimes electronically, to review the loans available on Kiva.org and select the ones we would like to help fund. We loan between $25 and $100 depending on funds available and the risk we see in the loans. Kiva then aggregates the payments from the various participants and provides them to the field partner. The field partner collects repayments from the entrepreneurs as well as any interest due and notifies Kiva if the payment is not made as scheduled. Interest rates are set by the field partner. As repayments are made to Kiva, the principal is returned to us, allowing us to re-loan those funds to additional entrepreneurs.

The U-City Microcredit Club has received $6,861 from 32 persons or groups, and with those funds, have financed $43,838 in loans since we began. This means we have loaned $6.29 for every $1.00 contributed by re-loaning the repayments received.

At our July 27 meeting, we celebrated two milestones – 500 loans made and $40,000 loaned. We are extremely proud of both of these accomplishments and look forward to $50,000 in loans in 2018 or early 2019.

The repayment rate on the loans we have participated in is 98.2%. Of the 570 loans we have made 439 are fully paid off (including 46 with some currency loss) and 101 are making timely payments.

We have experienced 18 defaults and have 12 loans that are considered delinquent. Of those 12 loans, 7 are less than 30 days delinquent, 2 more are 60 days delinquent, and 3 are over 6 months delinquent. Our delinquent loans currently comprise 3.96% of our loan portfolio and our defaults are 1.51%. Due to the strength of the dollar in relation to other currencies, we continue to experience losses due to currency exchange. In 2017, 46 loans showed a currency exchange loss in total of $295.

In 2016, we expanded our lending to 3 more countries, for a total of 77. When selecting loans, we always look first at offerings from new countries in order to give us the opportunity to learn about the customs, the economics, and the people of as many countries as possible. We favor the poorest countries and the ones where it is politically unpopular (if not dangerous) to open a small business. In our lending decisions, we pay as much attention to the field partners as we do to the individual borrowers. We also understand that our decisions mean that we are accepting some risk; but as you can see from the above information, our loss and delinquents experience is good. We also take pride in the fact that our performance is significantly better than the average Kiva lender (our 3.96% against 8.16% average)

Here are some demographics:

73.5 % of our loans are to women

26.5% to men

24.3% are for food preparation and sales

25.3% are to retail businesses

24.8% are for agriculture

In 2017, we made 107 loans totaling $7,237. Here are some of the most interesting:

Samuel Manandona, Madagascar

Samuel is an experienced farmer who has been raising pigs more than 10 years. He is 32 years old and has two daughters. He is borrowing $175 to purchase several piglets, which he will raise to sell. This is his third loan. We loaned $25.

Nar Group Laos, Lao PDR

The Nar Group is six individuals who together are borrowing $675 to purchase a water filtering system. Phonephet is the leader of the group and understands very well the difference a water filter can make for his family and the other families in the group. Local water sources require boiling before consumption, and boiling water uses natural and financial resources. The filter will increase his family's disposable income by decreasing the money needed to buy charcoal and reducing the amount of time needed to forage for firewood.

The filters are purchased from Terra Clear, an NGO which is working to improve the health of marginalized communities through providing ceramic water purifiers. Most of Terra Clears clients cannot afford to purchase the water purifier themselves, so Terra Clear has developed a community model that allows individuals or groups to pay for the system in 11 monthly installments. We loaned $50 in January, 2017, and this loan has been paid off.

Du Ong Hong Hoa District, Thanh Hoa Province, Viet Nam

DuOng is 30 years old, married with two children. He has been a barber for the last three years, but the business is not stable, in part because the latrine where he works cutting hair is not hygienic. He is borrowing $450 to expand his barbershop and move it outside. Than Hoa Province, in central VietNam, is one of the poorest areas of the country. Than Hoa MFI targets low income clients who have the ability to work but have no access to capital. The program's benefits have been felt throughout the community, including a decrease in children dropping out of primary school and families suffering from malnutrition. We loaned $75.

Serafina Cusco, Peru

Serafina is 51 years old and has four children. She works every day in her shop doing auto bodywork and painting. She has been in business for many years and works every day. She borrowed $1,400 in April to purchase paint and paint supplies and has repaid the loan. This is her second loan. The loan was financed through Asociacion Arariwa, who works with clients in the high, nearly inaccessible areas of Peru.

Ahmad Sidon , Lebanon

Ahmad is a Palestinian refugee who lives with his wife in an apartment in Sifon, Lebanon. He has been working as a carpenter for 8 years and has a good reputation in the area. He began business with one of his friends but two years ago decided to go on his own. He is borrowing $1,375 to purchase more wood in order to finish projects that he has.

Refugees face large obstacles when it comes to access to credit, and Ibdaa was formed to help fill that gap. Despite their skills, young persons face high levels of unemployment and banks are reluctant to lend to them as well. Ibdaa is an initiative of the Arab Gulf Fund aimed at reducing poverty and unemployment in Lebanon. We loaned $100.

Gs. Vecinos De Cedino Group Choluteca, Honduras

Jose Luis, Esteban Rosa, and Lesvia Carolina are all fish salespersons on the beaches of Cedeno, Honduras. Jose is 52 years old and has been fishing or selling fish for most of his life. His customers come to the beach to buy his shellfish as do people from the restaurants on the beach. The group is borrowing $1500. Jose will use his portion of the loan to buy a dragnet, which consists of three nets: a thicker one in the center with two lighter ones over it. His old dragnets are in poor condition and need to be replaced. This is the group’s fifth loan. We loaned $100.

Kafui Tokoin, Togo

Kafui is 33 years old, married with two children. She sells pagnes (brightly decorated Western African cloth) around her area. She buys lengths of pagne in the Tokoin market twice a month to cut and resell. She is borrowing $350 to buy 20 lengths of pagne. Tokoin is in the Lome’ area of Togo which is one of the poorest and most underserved areas. We loaned $75.

We hope you have found this information to be helpful and informative. We would welcome your participation at any of our meetings. We plan them around schedules and as money becomes available to loan. Sometimes the meetings are virtual, but if there are sufficient participants to warrant a physical meeting, we do so. If you would like to be informed as to meeting times, please talk to Tom Mitchell or Rich Wymore.

We know that we are making a big difference in the lives of those whom we have served and we are helping, in a small way, to reduce poverty around the world. If you would like to be part of this effort, join us. Or, if you are interest in contributing financially to this effort, we take your contributions by credit card, debit card or PayPal account on our website.

Click on the donate button and follow instructions for entering your information. You will receive an email confirmation. No personal checks please.

I am walking in Chesterfield, Missouri on May 5, 2018 to raise awareness and funding for NAMI-Saint Louis for five kilometers with approximately thirteen other mental health activists.

I renamed my one man walk team to "Flecha Verde" from last year's "Follow the Yellow Brick Road." The Yellow Brick Road team raised seventeen thousand dollars last year at the annual NAMIWalks in Saint Louis County. NAMI-Saint Louis raised a total of one hundred fifty thousand dollars in 2017.

I pray the Walk goes well this May of 2018.

I continue to voluntarily attend Independence Center for work, a meal, and interaction with fellow members and professional staff/administration social workers. I am going out on a limb to promote recovery from mental illness.

The United Methodist Church provides the foot soldiers to rally, to fight, and to recover from mental illness. I am aware of the strength of the church guiding the fight to tackle difficult mental health problems.

I give my support network all the credit for my recovery and the struggle with the misperceptions of mental illness which are flawed in my experience.

I feel like I have grown this year as I am reasonably able stand up for myself in adversarial encounters like an intention to attack me in the east end of the Delmar Loop on a Sunday afternoon by a young man asking for bus fare with the intention of robbing and beating me.

I continue to teach police officers through the Crisis Intervention Team training, a NAMI program with great possibilities and results.

Last week University Church received a gift of $67,000 from the estate of Bob and Jane Paine. Our church is so grateful for endowment gifts like this one and it will be added to our current endowment funds which are approaching a total of one million dollars. Our church uses earnings from this endowment to help with our expenses, to expand our mission outreach, and to maintain and improve our church home.

But this financial gift is only a small part of the legacy left behind by this wonderful couple who dearly loved being part of this congregation. Bob and Jane were married 64 years and they, their three children and later three of their grandchildren, sat right over there nearly every Sunday.

Bob was a doctor. The kind of doctor that goes to Harvard when he was 16 years old, graduates with a Bachelor degree in 1942 and receives his MD 2 years later. Bob served in World War II and then returned to St.Louis with a fellowship in Cardiology at Washington University. He joined the staff of St. Lukes Hospital in 1951 and eventually became head of Cardiology at St. Lukes. He was our church doctor. He was always interested in how you were doing. He could help you with the most complex of heart problems. Or, he could carefully remove a splinter from our little girl's finger and then call her the next day to check up on his patient. He was a lifelong educator, a researcher, a scientist, and a doctor who truly cared for his patients. But, most importantly to me, Bob was an absolutely wonderful human being. When you talked to Bob, he looked directly at you and listened to every word you said as if it was the most important thing he was likely to hear.

Bob’s concern for others led him to establish the Health Protection and Education Services organization that was initially run out of our church. We still support this organization with volunteer financing and person power. Bob, along with Martin Braeske, ran a class called Crosstalk for over a decade which probed many of the perplexing issues of our time.

And then there was Jane. Jane was passionate about Social Justice, supporting families and advocating for children. Her early work in childhood programs led to the model for Head Start. She helped build the Parents as Teachers Program. She was the executive director of the Conference on Education and served as an education consultant to the Danforth Foundation. She started the preschool right here in our own church. Jane weaved people and their talents together and made good things happen. Jane made a difference in countless children’s lives. But Jane must have been proudest of her “Bob” and her own children. She gave them all a passion for loving, learning and doing.

If you want to set some really tough goals for your life, hopefully you can find a Bob and Jane to set an example for you. If you want to make a real difference in this world, become a Bob and Jane and carry their passion for Social Justice into our world so that someday we can truly call it the Kingdom of God.

The U-City Microcredit Club met virtually on December 30, 2017. At that time, we made 14 loans in the amount of $1,125, as follows:

The Mafanikio Kivinge Group is five men who live in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The group is borrowing $1900 to be paid back in 9 months starting in February. Selemani is a member of the group. He sells fish. His portion of the loan will be used to buy more fish to sell, a big table to put them on, and ingredients such as salt. We loaned $75.

Arise is group of 8 ladies who live in Chorkor, Ghana. They are borrowing $5,525 to be paid back in a 8 months, starting in February. Victoria owns a grocery store where she sells bags of rice, flour, canned fish and beef, cooking oil, etc. She will use her portion of the loan to purchase more goods to sell. We loaned $100.

Kyar Poet-2E-Village Group is 4 women who live in Myingyan, Myanmar (Burma). The group is borrowing $850 to be repaid in one payment in December 2018. Zar grows rice and onions on her three acres of land. She will use her portion of the loan to buy more rice and onion seedlings. We loaned $25.

Erlinda is 40 years old and lives in Gattaran, Cagayan, Phillippines with her husband and two daughters. She sells liquid petroleum and also sells soft drinks. She is borrowing 70,000PHP ($1400) to expand her business. She will repay in 11 months, beginning in February. We loaned $100.

Ofiuco Group is 8 women who live in La Paz, Bolivia. They are borrowing $6,950 to be repaid in 7 months, beginning in March. The eight ladies have formed a commercial bank which has a board of directors. Anghela is the board president. She has a business selling handbags. She will use her portion of the loan to purchase wholesale bags and resell them from her stall. We loaned $100.

Alba Emily lives in El Salvador with her 15 year old son. She earns a living making and selling pupusas (a traditional Salvadorean dish of a thick corn tortilla stuffed with fried rice, cheese, flour, and corn and served with curtide and tomato sauce). She will use the loan to purchase more materials. We loaned $100.

Emily's Group is eight farmers who live in the Marele District of Kenya. Emily is 42 years old, married with 3 children, and is the leader of the group. The group is borrowing $450 which will be repaid in one payment in January, 2019. Emily has been farming for many years, raising corn on 3.75 acres. She will use her share of the loan to purchase hybrid seeds, fertilizer and a solar lantern. We loaned $100.

Polin is 27 years old and lives with his parents in Croix-de-Bouquets, Haiti. He sells dry bags in bulk to laundry businesses. He has been in business for 10 years and is borrowing $650 to purchase more bags in order to serve more customers. He will repay the loan in 6 payments, beginning in March. We loaned $50.

Carnen Cecilia is a tailor who lives in Barranquilla, Columbia. Her specialty is sports clothing, school and business uniforms. She is borrowing $1,025 to buy basic materials (fabrics, cuffs, threads, buttons, fasteners, etc) in order to serve her customers. She will repay the loan in 12 months, beginning in March. We loaned $50.

Ephinenie's Group is 8 women who formed a "village bank." They all live in Senegal and are borrowing $6,000, which will be repaid in one payment in July 2018. Paulette plans to use her portion of the loan to buy two pigs to fatten, 200 chicks for her poultry farm, and a large amount of ready-to-wear clothing that she will resell. We loaned $100.

Saikal is 52 years old and lives in Kyzylkiya, Kyrgyzstan. She sells dried fruit at a market. She earns about $1500 a month and is borrowing $2900 to buy more dried fruit. She will pay the loan back in 12 months starting in March. We loaned $100.

Ahmed is a 26 year old married Palestinian who lives in Tripoli, Lebanon. He has been a cattle man for several years and has an excellent reputation. Now he is going to start a new business as a butcher. He is borrowing $2,050 to open a butcher shop and will repay the loan over 15 months, beginning in April. We loaned $100.

Kondwani lives in Mzimba, Malawi and is a Zoona agent. Zoona is a mobile money operation that invests in entrepreneurs like Kondwani who provide financial services to underserved communities. Kondwani builds his business through mobile payment transactions, for which he charges a fee. He currently has 8 outlets in the Mzimba area where he employs 9 female tellers to assist in his outlets. He is borrowing $1400 to increase his transaction float (the difference between cash in and cash out) in order to handle his daily transactions. He will repay it in one payment in September 2018. We loaned $25. He is pictured here in front of one of his outlets.

Tepora is a 35 year old married woman with 5 children who lives in Fogapoa, Savaii, Samoa. She makes and sells pancakes. She is borrowing $400 to buy bags of flour, sugar, a large frying pan, a new oven, cooking oil, a strainer and yeast. She will repay the loan in 12 payments, beginning in February.

These will be the last loans in which we invest in 2017. It has been a tremendous year for us with the reaching of many milestones. While we concentrate our loans in areas where there are no financial services, our losses are low. Watch for our Annual Report to be published in the next month or two for more details about the people we loan to. We remain convinced that this is one of the best investments anyone can make - starting persons in business or helping them grow their existing business enables them to get out of poverty and be successful. We thank each of you for your support - both financially and spiritually. Please join us in one of our meetings in 2018.

Join UUMC as we walk to Jerusalem! Together, we'll traverse the 6,440 miles between St. Louis and Jerusalem by keeping track of our walking/ activities, starting January 1st.

Walk to Jerusalem is a multi-generational program which will motivate us to keep moving and increase our daily activity. Walking is healthy, fun, relaxing, and can increase your creativity!

Each week there will be a Walking with God devotion in Headlines and the bulletin. Meditate upon or memorize the verse to contemplate as you walk for a Healthier UUMC.

Log your miles or steps on your Activity Log.

Log your total weekly miles every Sunday on the green welcome sheet to record attendance at worship. If you do not make it to church, keep track of your steps/miles and record them when you are. Tracking steps can be done using a device like Fitbit, or an app your smartphone, or with a pedometer. Or you can use one of the activity tracking charts below to convert walking time, exercise, and/or household activities to steps and miles:

Over the past two years, I’ve had the joy of being a part of the UUMC Community. I moved to St. Louis in August of 2015 to continue my studies at Wash U and after a couple months of school, I started looking for a new church home. I grew up Methodist and spent a lot of weekends singing in the youth choir and going to youth group events. My home church has thousands of members, and while that allowed lots of programs to thrive, I didn’t really feel like part of a larger community. There were simply too many people to feel like I knew everybody. I took a couple years off from church at my first college back in Memphis which was good for me, but when I moved here, I knew that I needed to find somewhere smaller where I could really feel at home. That place was University United Methodist.

From the first time I met Reverend Diane, I knew I had found the community for me. Here is a leader who is both unwavering in her faith and willing to speak up for what she believes in. At my home church, certain topics are considered off limits. I guess that comes with the territory of having so many people in the congregation. To me though, that also leads to having a weaker church. Here at UUMC, I look out and see a strong congregation, a people who recognize inequality in their society and want to do something about it. Whether it be feeding the poor, doctoring the sick, housing the elderly, or simply having difficult conversations with each other and those around us, UUMC is actively trying to make St. Louis a better place. With all that’s happened in the city over the past 3 years in particular, people like y’all are needed more than ever. People who don’t hide from the calling of their faith and who don’t shy away from action. This church is dedicated to the fight, every single member is committed to leaving this world better than they found it, and that inspires me every day.

As I prepare to move back to Houston for my next stage in life, I will always keep this community in my heart, both as a reminder and example of what Methodism and Christianity is really about. Y’all have pushed me to be better in many facets of life, and have allowed me to grow alongside you during my time here. When I get home, I’ll probably go to my old church for a while, but I’ll certainly be on the lookout for other communities just like this one. While having lots of butts in pews for Sunday morning service is good and should be celebrated, it’s become apparent to me that having boots on the ground helping others in any way possible is what we are all called to do. My God Sighting today is all of you, for the work you put in daily to seeing God’s Kingdom on Earth. Thank you for all you do, and thank you for allowing me to join y’all for the last couple of years.

The U-City Microcredit Club held a virtual meeting On November 20, at which time we made 8 loans, totaling $600, as follows:

The Abaziranenge Tcb Sub Grb A Group is 16 residents of Rwanda who are borrowing $6,350. One of the group members is Domithille, a 45 years old mother of 9 children between the ages of 5 and 23. She will use her portion of the loan to buy more Irish potatoes and beans to sell. She sells foodstuffs in the market and has been doing so for 20 years. We loaned $50.

Nuevo Palin Group is 3 persons who live in Managua, Nicaragua. They are borrowing $2,275. Andrea has had a convenience store for almost 9 years and this is her 6th loan. She will use her portion of the loan to buy soda pop and a microwave oven. This will enable her to offer more products and make more profit. We loaned $100.

Faith is 33 years old and lives with her two children, ages 2 and 16 in Caldwell, Liberia. She is borrowing $300 to buy gari to use in making shortbread. She has been in business for 6 years and sells 10 hours a day. We loaned $75.

Acao Permanente Group is five women who live in Santo Andre, Brazil. They are borrowing $2,500. Marinete is the leader of the group. She has a stand for selling sweets and has been there for many years. She is divorced and has two children. She will use her portion of the loan to purchase tapioca, sweets and acai. We loaned $100.

The 3 Ward 5 Group is 4 ladies who live in Pyapan, Myanmar. They are borrowing $1,100. Than is one of the group members. She has been selling spices, particularly black pepper, in her neighborhood for many years. She will use her portion of the loan to buy black pepper in bulk. We loaned $75.

The Amancaya Group is 8 women who live in LaPaz, Bolivia. They are borrowing a total of $6,225. Celia is the president of the group and has a business selling quinoa. She will use her portion of the loan to purchase large quantities of quinoa seed in bulk. We loaned $100.

Jean Claude lives in Delmas, Haiti. He is 52 years old and received training in metalwork. Today he owns a shop that sells construction materials. He is requesting a loan of $275 to buy diverse dimensions of iron to sell. This is his third loan. We loaned $25.

Ashurgul lives in Bohtar, Tajikistan and is a seamstress. However, she also breeds cattle and raises the bulls to sell. In addition, she has a small plot of land, which you can see in the picture, on which she raises strawberries. The region where she lives has sunny weather until the end of November, so she is able to harvest strawberries three times a year. She is borrowing $925 to purchase mineral fertilizer for her crop. Shge will pay the loan back in 12 monthly payments, beginning in January. This is her third loan. We loaned $75.

Today UUMC’s Mission and Social Justice Team presents Bread for the World’s Offering of Letters. We can advocate for A Healthier STL by writing letters to policymakers urging them to prioritize pathways out of hunger and poverty.

Every year, United Methodist partner Bread for the World invites churches and community groups across the country to take up an offering—not of money, but of letters. People of faith write their political leaders asking them to support legislation that helps people who are hungry and struggling with poverty.

Writing a personal message is simple and can take only a few minutes. We have presented a sample letter that you can sign or copy. If you prefer, you can write your own letter. Follow these steps for an effective letter:

1. Ask for a specific action, in your own words or with this example: “I urge you to make funding decisions that put us on track toward ending hunger by 2030.”

2. Mention a specific bill or proposal (if applicable).

3. Give reasons for your request. Show your own commitment to ending hunger. Share a personal reason that motivated you to write. Letters with personal stories are compelling and effective.

4. Write your name and address at the end of your letter and on the envelope so that the recipient knows you are one of their constituents.

You can bring your letters back to University UMC on 11/19 or 11/26. Place your letters in the offering plate and we will deliver them to the addressed recipient. If you are registered in St. Louis voter, you can write to US Senator Roy Blunt, US Senator Claire McCaskill, US Representative Lacy Clay or US Representative Ann Wagner, or MO Governor Eric Greitens. If you want to write to someone else (e.g., if you are a citizen of another state or country), please include recipient’s full name and address (including country), so that we can make sure it gets to the right recipient.

The U-City Microcredit Club met in the library at UUMC on November 3. We made 11 loans, totaling $850. Due to the number of loans we now make at each meeting, it has been suggested that we reduce the amount of information we present on each loan and, instead, feature one borrower, in detail. So, here we go.

Visao Fenix Group, Sao Paolo, Brazil: Lidiomar is group leader. The group of three persons is borrowing $1,625. Lidiomar will use his portion of the loan to purchase natural and therapeutic products to sell door to door. We loaned $50.

Santo Domingo Group, Paraguari, Paraguay: a 17 member group that is borrowing $2,775. Alejandra is a member of the group and will use her portion of the loan to buy cheese in larger quantities in order to better serve her customers. We loaned $100.

Restetuta is a single parent in Fort Portal, Uganda. She sells fresh food likes peas and beans in the market and is borrowing $100 in order to buy more. We loaned $75.

Mwajuma lives in Masambenwi, Kenya. She sells khangas (a woman's wrap) from her home and door-to-door. She is borrowing $200 to purchase more cloth. We loaned $100.

Hiam lives in Nabateih, Lebanon and runs her own patisserie. She is borrowing $1,500 to purchase an espresso machine and other raw materials needed in her shop. We loaned $100.

Besnik is a highly respected achiever in his village of Korce, Albania. He owns a bar/cafe and is also a farmer, raising beans and potatoes to sell. He is borrowing $1,750 to plant a leguminous clover like plant which enriches the soil. We loaned $50.

The Faraja Group Buguruni is 2 ladies who live in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Zuwena has been a hairstylist in her own salon for twenty years and is borrowing $325 to buy new hair straighteners, diffusers. big blowers, etc. We loaned $100.

Op lives in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia with her husband and two children. She works as a cleaner and her husband works in construction. She is borrowing $600 to buy a rickshaw so her husband can run a new business. We loaned $50.

The Khoeurn Group is two ladies who live in Kandal province, Cambodia. Khoeurn and her husband have been operating a farm for 17 years where they raise corn and cattle to sell to their neighbors. She is borrowing $500 to buy seed, fertilizer and a spray can. We loaned $100.

Carlos Antoinio, pictured above, is a farmer on land he owns in San Juan Pueblo, Atlantida, Honduras. He is 25 years old, married, and has two children. For three years, he has been growing African oil palms and selling the fruit to distributors in the area. Palm oil contains more saturated fats than other oils and can stand extreme deep frying heat. It also contains no trans fat so it is becoming more widely used. Carlos is borrowing 25,000 Lempiras, $700, to buy fertilizer and pay for the cleaning of his crops. The loan will be paid back in 18 months, starting with the first payment in January, 2018. We loaned $100.

I hope you enjoyed the new format. We thank you for your continued support.

The Open Door Pantry has grown exponentially over the past year. Thank you for sharing your time and resources so our neighbors in need can be part of a Healthier STL!

Thanks to UUM Preschool, we have in-kind contributions that should sustain us for two weeks. For the remaining 8 weeks of 2017, we need to spend less than $120/week on food, metro/bus passes, and toiletry/hygiene items.

Therefore, we decided to make the following changes in order to be good stewards of our limited finances and also give choices and autonomy to our neighbors in need.

1. Six seniors are now receiving a monthly food box through the Missouri Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). We will continue to ask our neighbors in need whether they qualify for this program and help them to sign up.

2. We will only give out 2 bus passes to families that do not have a car. This will allow them to take their food home and have a way to return the following month.

3. We will limit paper products and hygiene items. Our neighbors in need will choose from a limited selection so that we can serve as many people as possible. If they choose a prepackaged bag of paper products (items that are not covered by SNAP), then they may only have one bag of food items.

4. We will register with Operation Food Search and St. Louis Area Food Bank to cut the cost of food. When we get information on access, payment, dates, etc. from these two organizations, we will then need to get volunteers or pay someone to transport the food each week.

Finally, please support Open Door Pantry through the Trivia Night fundraiser (11/11), Christmas offering (12/24), and the ongoing requests for in-kind donations (updated weekly in Headlines and the bulletin). Through your generosity, we can open the door to a Healthier St. Louis!

The U-City Microcredit Club held an impromptu meeting at Momo's Greek Tavern on October 4, 2017. At that meeting, we made seven loans totaling $625, as follows:

Leida Marasol is 28 years old, married with 4 children and lives in Choloma, Cortes, Honduras. For the past year, she has been selling a wide variety of soda beverages in her home. Her business is well known in the area. She is applying for a loan of10,000 lempiras ($450) which she will use to purchase more refreshments in order to have a wider variety and a larger supply. She will repay the loan over 18 months, beginning in December. We loaned $100.

The Wagumu Group consists of two persons, Flora and Alfani, who live in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Flora is in her late 30s, married with four children. She has sold clothing for five years. She sells women's dresses known as "dellah" and cotton fabric printed in various colors and designs with distinctive borders known as "kitenge" in Swahili. She usually works from 7 in the morning until 6 at night. She will use her portion of the $475 loan to purchase more della and kitenge. The loan will be repaid in 12 months, beginning in December. We loaned $100.

Kalima is 45 yearss old, married with 3 children and lives in Jalalabat, Kyrgystan. She has a secondary education. For 27 years, she has been breeding livestock. She currently has 2 cows and 22 sheep and has a monthly income of 12,000 som(KGS), about $180. She is borrowing 50,000 som ($750) to purchase another cow. She will repay the loan over 11 months, beginning in December. This is her third loan and the others were both paid off in a timely manner. We loaned $75.

Sorlimor Group is 4 ladies from Chorkor, Ghana. Lawrencia is a member of the group. She is 34 years old and sells Parazone and other detergents to customers. This will be her 9th loan. The groupis borrowing $925, and Lawrencia's portion will be used to buy more Parazone to sell. The loan will be repaid over 8 months, beginning in December. We loaned $100.

Melekije is 46 years old, married with fivechildren and two grandchildren, and lives inKosovo. Her husband is a truck driver, and they raise tomatoes, potatoes and cucumbers. However, their primary crop is wheat, which they sell. This is Melekije's second loan ($1,775), and she will use it to purchase more wheat seed and fertilizer. The loan will be repaid over 12 months, beginning in December. We loaned $50. Kosovo has the lowest per capita income of any European country, about $3,000.

The group called Kuna Mbarete is comprised of 18 women who live in Villa Elisa, Paraguay. They are borrowing $3,450 to be paid back in 3 months, beginning in December. Marta is the president of the group. She sells ice cream and has a good clientele because "it is always hot." Her portion of the loan will be used to purchase more ice cream to sell. We loaned $100.

Sheila is 37 years old, married with four children and lives in Ginatalan, Cebu, Phillippines. Her husband works as a security guard and she raises hogs. She is borrowing $125 to buy feed for her hogs. The loan will be repaid in 9 months, beginning in December. We loaned $100.

As always, we thank you for your support. Your contributions and your prayers are making a real difference in the lives of entrepreneurs in 78 countries all over the world.

Mental Health First Aid is a public education program that introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact, and overviews appropriate supports. This 8-hour course uses roleplaying and simulations to demonstrate how to offer initial help in a mental health crisis and connect people to the appropriate professional, peer, social and self-help care. The program also teaches common risk factors and warning signs of specific illnesses like anxiety, depression, substance use, bipolar disorder, eating disorders and schizophrenia.

Like CPR, Mental Health First Aid prepares participants to interact with a person in crisis and connect the person with help. First Aiders do not diagnose or provide any counseling or therapy. Instead, the program offers concrete tools and answers key questions like, “What do I do?” and, “Where can someone find help?” Certified Mental Health First Aid instructors provide a list of community healthcare providers and national resources, support groups and online tools for mental health and addictions treatment and support. All trainees receive a program manual to complement the course material.

University UMC and Health Protection and Education Services have teamed up to offer this class at UUMC on Saturday, November 5th. They are co-underwriting the class, reducing the cost from $170 to $30. The fee includes breakfast and lunch.

Read a success story from a college student who took the class. Sign up here to take the class at UUMC. Scholarships are available; do not let cost deter your participation!

The U-City microcredit club met virtually on August 29, 2017 and made 8 loans totaling $600, as follows:

The Juntos Somos Parceiros Group is 6 entrepreneurs who live and work in Sao Paolo, Brazil. They are borrowing $2,900 to be paid back in 5 months beginning in October. Helena has a small bar and sells soft drinks and other drinks; Dalva sells cosmetics door-to-door; Sergio sells barbecued meat,; Renata sells vegetables at amarket; Carol sells cosmetics door-to-door and Geany, the leader of the group, works in podiatry. Her portion of the loan will be used to buy pliers, medicine and equipment. We loaned $100.

Iti is a 31 year old married woman with 2 children who lives in Cooch Behar in West Bengal, India. Iti and her husband make garlands of artificial flowers and have a monthly income of INR 8,000. She is borrowing INR 28,000 to be paid back in 12 months to purchase raw materials so that they can increase the number of garlands they make and increase their income. We loaned $100.

Zaida is a member of the The Wajasiliamali Group - Buguruni in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She is in her mid-30's, married with two children and operates a food stall where she works from 8AM to 9PM every day. The group is borrowing $325 to be paid back in 6 months. Zaida will use her portion of the loan to buy kilos of wheat flour, rice, sugar and beans as well as a supply of charcoal, liters of paraffin, cartons of clean water and ingredients to make rice 'pilau'.

The Maelewano Zomboko Group is three ladies who also live in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The group is borrowing $1,475 to be paid back in 9 months. Zuhura is a hard working woman in her late 30s with 3 children in school. She has a fish shop where she works from 8AM to 8PM every day, She has been in business for 3 years and this is her third loan. She will use her portion of the loan to buy a refrigerator for keeping fish, a scale for weighing and more fish to sell. We loaned $50.

Mariama's Group is seven ladies who live in Senegal. The group is borrowing $5,150 to be repaid in one payment in April 2018. Mariama is 47 years old with 4 children. She has been selling fruitat the town's bus station for 10 years. With her portion of the loan, she will buy 11 buckets of mangoes and eleven boxes of oranges to resell. We loaned $100.

Malaika Group is at least 26 women from Goma, North Kivu province, Congo (DemRep).

Petronille is 57 years old , married to a pastor, and the mother of eight children. She began her business of selling various sorts of clothing on the street in Goma. She will use her portion of the loan to buy30 lengths of pagne cloth. We loaned $50.

Hien, the leader of Hien's Group, is a 37 year-old Thai ethnic woman living in Mai Son district, Viet Nam with her husband and two sons. They are farmers and breeders but barely make enough to live on. She is borrowing money to purchase fertilizer for the coffee field in order to increase the coffee yield. The 6 woman group is borrowing $2,525 to be paid back in 12 months. We loaned $100.

Neriman is 43 years old, lives in Turkey and is a mother of two. She runs a shop where she makes and sells jewelry made out of meerschaum (a mineral found in Turkey). She has years of experience making necklaces, earrings and prayer beads. With her 7th loan of $700, she will buy raw meerschaum stone in bulk. We loaned $50.

On Sunday, August 20, 2017, University United Methodist Church voted to adopt this welcome statement:

We invite people of all ages, races, cultures, gender identities, and sexual orientations to be you, be loved, and belong.

We also voted to join the Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN). The Reconciling Ministries Network mobilizes United Methodists of all sexual orientations and gender identities to transform our Church and world into the full expression of Christ’s inclusive love.

All professing members were invited to vote. We had 57 people participate: 54 in favor, 3 opposed. We are grateful for the honesty and integrity with which each individual has discerned this decision. Together, we continue as a church fully committed to living, learning, and loving together.

What’s next?

We will keep the welcome statement visible (e.g., worship bulletin, webpage, and social media).

We will partner with other Reconciling United Methodists in St. Louis for outreach events like STL Pride.

We will continue to learn about how to invite and welcome LGBTQIA+ persons in our local congregation. For example, check out this information on welcoming trans* and gender-non-conforming people.

We will advocate for better policies within The United Methodist Church and the U.S. for LGBTQIA+ people.

We will donate $250 annually to the international Reconciling Ministries Network. This funds training events, online/paper communication, and witness at large UM gatherings. (And we gratefully have a member who has offered to underwrite this amount!)

We will have a local Reconciling United Methodists drive where you can sign up as individuals to be part of the Reconciling Ministries Network. Don’t worry -- it’s free! And we never share any member’s personal information --- your participation will be entirely up to you.

We will take a picture of the congregation for the Reconciling Ministries Network to share on their website. Date/time TBD.